Wakeup was at 0800 and breakfast at 0900. We walked back to Piazza San Marco to meet our guide for a walking tour of Venice. The walk back to the Piazza San Marco did not seem quite so confusing. Perhaps it was a bit of familiarity with the route, perhaps it was because I started taking notice of the yellow signs painted on the buildings that marked (with arrows) the route to the piazza.
Venice was founded in the fifth century by dwellers fleeing the barbarian invaders. By the 12th century, Venice had established itself as a world trading and commercial hub. It was from Venice that Marco Polo set out on his great journey to the Far East.
http://www.silk-road.com/artl/marcopolo.shtml
Over time, the city acquired a vast overseas empire and wealth poured into the city funding the building of great churches and palaces. The power of Venice declined as other trade routes to the east were opened and the republic fell in 1797. In 1866, the city became part of the newly unified Italy.
Piazza San Marco
We began our tour by walking along the Riva degli Schiavoni to the crossing of the first canal – at the Rio di Palazzo. From there, it’s possible to look north to see the Ponte dei Sospiri (the Bridge of Sighs). The bridge connects old prisons with interrogation rooms in the Doge’s palace. The bridge acquired the name in the 19th century thanks to the poet Lord Byron. There are two legends surrounding the name – one says that the name was earned because it was the windows on the bridge that gave prisoners their last glimpse of Venice before incarceration. Another legend refers to the route that the condemned would take from the prison over to the square in front of the Doge’s palace; the site of execution. The reality is that the days of inquisitions and summary executions were over by the time the bridge was built, and the cells under the palace roof were occupied mostly by small-time criminals. Local legend says that lovers will be assured eternal love if they kiss on a gondola at sunset under the bridge.
Bridge of Sighs
From there, we walked back around the corner to the front of the doge’s palace – the Palazzo Ducale. This was the home to the Doge, the law courts, the civil service and the prisons. It was originally built in the 9th century and a new hall for the Great Council was added in 1340. The waterfront and piazza facades were added in the 15th century. The Palazzo Ducale was not only the home of the Doge, but also housed the machinery of the State and the building reflects the power, wealth and prestige of the city. Today, the building is mostly open to the public and houses various city offices. Unfortunately, our tour did not get the opportunity to enter the Palazzo Ducale. Instead, we continued “next door” to the Basilica di San Marco.
The original basilica was built in 832 to house the remains of St. Mark the Evangelist. The remains had been brought to the city from Alexandria by merchants. There are five rounded arches on the façade of the basilica and the removal of St. Mark’s body from Alexandria is depicted in a mosaic in one of the arches.We were fortunate; the line to enter the basilica was fairly short and moving nicely, so we went in. The layout is in the form of a Greek (Orthodox) cross with two arms. Anything that I write about the interior of the basilica would fall far short of describing it. Instead, I’ll refer you to the excellent web site at: http://www.basilicasanmarco.it/eng/index.bsm. But even this web site does not do the building justice. The light was dim, but still the gold and mosaics were gleaming. There are 8,000 square metres of gilded mosaics. Venice sits on very uneven and unstable ground – and the floor of the basilica is an uneven mixture of marble and mosaic. Given all that Venice has endured over the centuries, it’s incredible to see how everything has held up.
From the basilica, our guide led us to some of the less-frequently-visited areas of Venice. The objective was to get a small taste of how the citizens of the city live. Along the way, we stopped briefly at the Gran Teatro la Fenice – location for symphonic concerts. We continued on through back streets and eventually made our way to the Rialto Bridge.
On the steps of the Gran Teatro la Fenice
The Rialto area of Venice was one of the earliest parts of the lagoon to be settled. It stands on some of the highest ground in the city and is one of the areas less likely to be flooded. Rialto was an early centre of commerce; Venetian merchants controlled trade between Europe and the Far East. The name Rialto was as familiar to medieval moneymen as Wall Street is today. The first bridges across the Grand Canal at Rialto were simply boats rafted together. In the 12th and 13th centuries, the first of what eventually were five wooden bridges were built. In 1557, a competition was held to choose a design for a stone bridge. Designs were submitted by Palladio, Sansovino and Michelangelo – but the commission for the bridge went to Antonio da Ponte for his (at the time) revolutionary single-span design. The sides of the span are devoted to pedestrians and provide “back-door” access to the shops that run down the centre of the bridge.
Mrs. Williams looks out over the Grand Canal
It was now lunchtime, and our walking tour ended here. Everyone was given free time for the afternoon to explore the city, with the provision that we be ready at 1745 to go for supper.
Lunch was at a small self-service restaurant on the Riva del Ferro, named after the iron that was once unloaded there. After lunch, Mrs. Pothier and I joined Mr. and Mrs. Cole for a bit of a walkabout.
Well, it actually started with a bit of a floatabout. After all, a trip to Venice would not be complete without a ride on a gondola. Our gondolier took us past the homes Marco Polo and Rossini. Unfortunately, we caught the “express” gondola; or maybe our gondolier had had a bit too much espresso that morning. He was working his oar like a demon and even managed to pass a couple of other gondolas in the narrow passageways. All too quickly, (or so it seemed) we were back at the dock where we started.
The backwaters (sorry, I couldn't resist) of Venice
The four of us continued on and eventually worked our way back to the Piazza San Marco. Flavio had told us – and guidebooks mention it too – that to sit in the piazza at one of the cafes would be an expressive proposition. Well, it was our first trip to Venice – and maybe next time we won’t do it – but it was (for me) a very special experience to sit in the sunshine of the piazza and enjoy cappuccino (or tea) and biscotti. The crowds of people milled about the square, there were hundreds of pigeons. It was a very nice way to (nearly) end the trip.
Mr. Cole, Mr. and Mrs. Pothier, Mrs. Cole at http://www.lavena.it/lavena_en.htm
The sun was getting low in the sky – and the temperature began to drop. It was time to head back to the hotel. We followed the yellow signs that led back to the train station (the landmark nearest to our hotel). Along the way, we stopped at a local supermarket and bought a few things for the trip home: some chocolates, some chips. We also bought a small block of cheese – Grana Padano (Dop); on sale for 7.20 Euros per Kg.
As I mentioned earlier, assembly for supper was at 1745 – early because we were scheduled to go to a chamber music recital later in the evening. Supper was at the same restaurant in the Jewish ghetto and after eating we continued on to the concert venue just off the Piazza San Marco. (I think I’m starting to know the route now!)
The feature of the concert was the playing of Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons”. The show was part of a concert series at the Ateneo di San Basso featuring the Virtuosi di Venezia (San Marco Chamber Orchestra). It was a great performance and – because we were such a large group – we were given the opportunity to enter the theatre first and sit at the front (much to the chagrin of the other people waiting in line).
After the show, it was back to the hotel – via that same twisted route – to get ready for an early departure.
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